There are three sub-departments operating within the Department: Food Safety and Regional Products, Instrumental Analysis of Food, and Commodity Science and Processing of Raw Animal Materials. The Department currently employs eleven research and teaching staff, including eight independent staff, seven with the degree of habilitated doctor in the field of food technology and nutrition. Of these, four have the title of Professor of Agricultural Sciences. The remaining three are assistant professors with the degree of doctor. In addition, the unit employs four engineering and technical workers, three of whom hold the degree of doctor.

From the beginning of the unit’s existence, the subjects of its research have been closely connected to assessment of the impact of various factors on the quality of raw material and products of animal origin (milk of various animal species, beef, pork, the meat of horses, sheep, game, and fish, and honey).

Major areas of research
1. Polymorphism of milk proteins and its relationship with the physicochemical characteristics of milk, indicators of its suitability for processing, and calf rearing results.
2. Influence of selected factors (genetic, environmental and physiological) on the technological suitability, nutritional value and health benefits of milk.
3. Quality of dairy products (yoghurts, cheeses) made from the milk of local breeds in the conditions of a small processing plant.
4. Quality of goat milk and cheeses produced from it.
5. Determinants of the quality of commercially available milk and dairy products.
6. Effect of live (genetic and non-genetic) and post-mortem factors (ageing, packaging) on the slaughter value of cattle and eating quality of beef with special regard to technological, nutritional and health-promoting value.
7. Value in use of fish and eating quality of meat and fish product from domestic aquaculture.
8. Commodity evaluation of food products of animal origin.
9. Production of veal based on suckler calves reared on pasture with cows.
10. Technological and nutritional quality of venison and game meat.
11. Impact of selected factors (origin, variety, storage conditions) on the physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity and health safety of honey.
12. Analysis of molecular polymorphism in the population of brown trout in Poland.
13. Use of quality assurance and management systems in the food sector.

Most of the research was carried out as part of projects financed by the State Committee for Scientific Research, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, National Science Center, and National Centre for Research and Development.
The project financed under the program of the Minister of Science and Higher Education under the name “Regional Initiative of Excellence” in 2019-2022 project number 029/RID/2018/19 funding amount 11,927,330.00 PLN – Task 1: Technologies for the production and processing of milk with an increased content of bioactive ingredients or ingredients reducing food hypersensitivity, Task 2: Optimization of methods of preserving biologically active substances in the designed culinary beef and veal meat (leadership and execution), Task 4: Optimization of the parameters, extraction and processing of local aquaculture products, honey and eggs to preserve bioactive substances (leadership and execution) is currently implemented.

The staff teach students mainly in the following courses of study:
• Food safety and certification (Methods of food analysis, Commodity science of animal products, Code of good practice, Food storage and distribution, Food additives, Food packaging and labelling, Fundamentals of quality management in food processing, Production and certification of traditional and regional food),
• Dietetics (Food quality analysis and assessment, Fundamentals of dietetics, Nutrition education, Commodity science of animal products, Traditional food),
• Bio-cosmetology (Animal raw material in cosmetics, Organic production of animal raw material, Research methods in cosmetology, Systems for ensuring the safety and quality of cosmetics),
• Animal Husbandry (Commodity science of animal products, Good practices in primary production).